Independent panel members and their areas of expertise are set out below:
- Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE (Vice Chair) – Founding member of Starling Bank and Chair of FinTech Wales – innovation, investment attraction and business ecosystem development;
- John Evans – Former CEO of Subsea7 – energy sector and large-scale infrastructure projects;
- Gerald Holtham – Visiting Professor of Regional Economy at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Managing Partner at Cadwyn Capital LLP – regional economics, public policy, finance and investment, with authoritative insight into Wales’s fiscal and economic landscape;
- Beren Kayali – Co-founder and CTO of Deploy Tech – engineering-led innovation, commercialising low-carbon technology and scaling start-ups;
- Alison Lea-Wilson MBE – Co-founder of Halen Môn – tourism, business start-up, scaling, sales, exporting, place-based product development and building a successful international brand;
- La-Chun Lindsay OBE – Former Managing Director, GE Aviation Wales – leading complex international operations across industries;
- Nigel Morris – Co-founder of Capital One and Managing Partner of QED Investors – venture capital and scaling high-growth technology businesses globally;
- Gareth Noyes – held a range of senior roles at Wind River Systems – technology strategy, innovation, digital transformation and scaling high-growth businesses;
- Oriel Petry – Senior Vice President, Airbus UK – industrial strategy, international investment and advanced manufacturing; and
- Laura Doel – General Secretary for TUC Cymru – workforce development, skills, social partnership, fair work and employee perspectives.
